Al Fashir is being pushed to the edge of survival.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have held the capital of North Darfur captive in a 14-month siege – preventing food or fuel from entering, forcing its 900,000 inhabitants to face starvation.
The entire city has become a militarised zone as Sudan’s army and the Darfur Joint Protection Force work to protect the last state capital in the Darfur region not yet under RSF control.
Footage from within al Fashir sent to Sky News shows empty streets, with residents hiding indoors from daytime shelling, relying on volunteers and donkey carts to find scarce food supplies.
Al Fashir is the capital of North Darfur
‘It is truly horrendous’
Journalist Muammer Ibrahim has sent Sky News voice notes from the area.
“The situation is horrendous,” he remarks. “It is truly horrendous.
“The markets are devoid of food and partially destroyed by shelling. Civilians were killed at the market just a day ago. People have fled market areas, but there is also shelling in residential areas. Daily, we hear reports of 10 or 12 civilians killed in attacks.”
His voice is shallow, weakened by the dire conditions, and gunshots can be heard in the background.
“The intense fighting has prevented people from safely searching for food, but there’s also nothing to buy with their money. The markets are empty. Hundreds of thousands are now threatened by a full-blown famine,” he says.
“Since the collapse of Zamzam camp, there has been a full blockade of any nutritional supplies reaching al Fashir. It closed any routes for produce or supplies to enter.”
The city’s remaining residents hide from daytime shelling
Exploring the depth of the crisis further reinforces the severity of the situation currently unfurling within Al Fashir and the broader region, capturing the gravity of the restrictions and the dreadful path towards starvation that the inhabitants of Al Fashir are forced to tread. The ongoing struggles and dire conditions, born from the prolonged conflict and siege, press urgently for international attention and support to alleviate the escalating humanitarian crisis.
